As summer winds down in mountain resort towns, some indicators point to a stronger-than-expected tourism season. Still, hospitality leaders say economic uncertainty continues to influence travel decisions.
Hotel and rental bookings are up 1% compared to last summer as of July 31, according to a report from travel company Inntopia. The data covers 17 western destinations, including Vail, Colo., Sun Valley, Idaho, and Jackson Hole, Wyo.
A couple of months ago, Inntopia analysts described a “malaise” in the market, citing the longest booking slowdown for mountain resort destinations since the COVID-19 pandemic. The small rebound could be explained by hotels and businesses lowering prices.
“For the first time in almost two years, properties softened their year-over-year summer rates by an aggregated 1.9% and travelers responded in a big way as occupancy and demand pace both climbed sharply,” said Tom Foley, the director of business intelligence for Inntopia.
In places like Vail and Beaver Creek, Colo, more visitors were booking last-minute, often just a couple of weeks in advance. That made trends harder to predict. But so far in August, Chris Romer, the president and CEO of the Vail Valley Partnership, said the numbers are looking “firmly OK.”
“We're not setting records,” he said, “but we're up slightly over last year. It's a little bit turbulent. It's a little bit of a wild ride.”
Visitor trends vary by destination. Breckenridge, Colo., for example, has seen a 14% drop in overnight stays this summer. However, Bill Wishowski, the operations director at the Breckenridge Tourism Office noted day-trip traffic remains strong.
Looking ahead, tourism officials said the uncertain economy, driven in part by tariffs, will likely continue to impact domestic — and international — travel. Notably, Canadian tourist visits to mountain towns are down about 58% this summer.
Romer said despite national trends, resort communities should focus on what they can control, especially heading into ski season.
“We can control the level of service we provide, and we can control the value that people get, and we can control the pricing to be an attractive destination, and the number of flights we have, and make it easy to get here,” he said.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by CPB.
